1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the same, and further to a method of manufacturing the process cartridge and a method of remanufacturing the process cartridge.
Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium by the use of an electrophotographic image forming process, and this term includes, for example, an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (such as, for example, an LED printer or a laser beam printer), an electrophotographic facsimile apparatus and an electrophotographic word processor or the like.
Also, the process cartridge refers to an electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least a charging roller for acting thereon integrally made into a cartridge detachably mountable to the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, in an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium by the use of an electrophotographic image forming process, or a process cartridge detachably mountable to the main body of the image forming apparatus, use has been widely made of a method of bringing a charging roller as means for charging an electrophotographic photosensitive member (photosensitive drum) and rotating it. In such a contact charging roller method, an electrically conductive elastic roller is brought into pressure contact with the photosensitive drum, and a voltage is applied thereto to thereby effect the charging of the photosensitive drum by discharge.
In this charging roller method, there is known a construction provided with a mechanism for separating the charging roller and the photosensitive drum from each other and releasing the separation in order to eliminate a state in which the charging roller is left in pressure contact with the photosensitive drum for a long period of time (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-311690).
The above-described conventional charging roller separating construction uses a spacer for separating the charging roller from the photosensitive drum, and when the photosensitive drum is rotated, the spacer is rotated to thereby release the separated state.
The spacer is moved by a gear provided on the photosensitive drum and therefore, it is necessary to reversely rotate the photosensitive drum when the charging roller is to be separated.